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Autumn is my absolute favorite season of all! Living in New England, I really do get to experience all four seasons, with the biggest challenge being the winter. Sometimes it creeps up earlier than expected and chooses to hang out longer than desired. I’ll spare us a revisit the winter travails of Massachusetts last year. What I note though is that not everyone looks at the changes in seasons the same way. See, I find pluses and minuses of each. Winter can be bone chilling cold but I love the days of snowfall so intense that all you can do is snuggle, warm drink in hand and watch a great movie from your couch. Spring can take fooooooorever to show up but once it’s here, it brings with it the promise of even warner weather with so much to do outside. Summer, need I say more? Yes, some days can get waaaaaaaay too hot, but outside activities are limitless. Autumn, brings the warning of colder days ahead but helps us transition with BEAUTIFUL foliage and opportunities for fabulous fashion! And yet, some of us like one season and one only or simply despise another. I could go on and on but this is also the case in life.

It is inevitable that as long as you’re living your life is going to bring with it different seasons. Things can’t go well 100% of the time, but, they can’t go horribly wrong 100% of the time either. It just can’t. Some seasons can be more prolonged than others but it is inevitable that there will be change. Over the past few months, another theme tied to this that has been coming up for my clients is that of the changing seasons of friendships.

Lately, I’ve consistently been heard things like:

“You know, I was a little down because as I was going through ‘x-situation’, I realized the folks who have usually been there for me just haven’t been.”

“I’ve been noticing a shift in my group lately….folks are kind of falling off.”

“As I approach my 30s, I am noticing that not everyone is game for continuing my journey with me….it kind of sucks. It’s like they don’t accept the growth in me, or at least that I’m feeling I’m experiencing.”

I’ve been through all of this before myself so of course I have to ask each of them “As you’re noticing some folks falling away or distancing or even just cutting off ties with you, are other people showing up?” Consistently the response has been “Yes and totally out of the blue!” Yup, see just like the old saying “God never closes one door without opening another,” I don’t believe you’re ever left with loss without some form of compensation for that loss showing up. This is especially true since we as human beings are just not intended to be alone. So of course other people are going to show up in your life…and they will probably be so much better for you since they’re showing up in a season where the value of their presence is beyond measure. Accept it as time for new fruit.

So what is there to do in seasons of changing friendships?

Acknowledge your hurt: There are so many ways we try to be so strong and so tough and so unaffected by people and circumstances that we don’t let ourselves hurt or at least we don’t think we do. See, if you don’t take the time to let yourself acknowledge that these changes are impacting you, the “dealing with it” will show up in other ways. You’ll be arguing over something with your spouse that you know has nothing to do with them. You’ll be short-tempered with the kids. You’ll give your coworkers some unrelenting side-eye and it really has nothing to do with them and all to do with the fact that the change, especially if unexpected has really dampened your spirits. Let yourself acknowledge it especially with someone who can give you perspective.

Decide to move on: Don’t let yourself get stuck in acknowledgement. Once you’ve made note of what’s happening or happened, give yourself the gift of moving on. Start by treating yourself to a party for one….may be a day of catching up on Essence reading, a day at the spa, just a mani and pedi…something. Focus on you, even if just for a bit then…..remember…..NOT EVERYONE IS GONE! You’ve still got others in your life. Shift your focus from what’s changing to what’s…who’s staying the same and reach out, engage, move on.

Accept the beauty of change: When you’re going through these seasons, always think of fall foliage. It’s so beautiful and brings so much with it. It can be hard but look at the beauty of it. Change is usually an indication of growth, strengthening, progress, forward movement….though it may not always look and feel like it, there’s beauty in it. Take note of it and accept it. When you do, you’ll notice how truly breathtaking it and you are!!!!

Live fabulously fierce: Being who you are is not dependent on who is in your life. Others compliment who you are and the best of friends help bring out the best of who you are. But no on, no one, makes you who you are other than you. Commit to continuing to live fabulously fierce or however it is you choose to live….fabulously empowered….fabulously strong….fabulously hopeful….you choose and LIVE IT!!!!

Final note: With the whole Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson scene at the Emmy’s…which I will not get into simply because I know I just will not stop once I start…..there has been an increase in consciousness of “who’s clapping for you”….who’s in your tribe…who’s got your back….etc etc. It’s raising our level of awareness that we actually get to decide who comes into our lives and who’s influence we’re going to let impact us. Know that this is actually empowerment. You get to choose. You get to choose. Be empowered in that and know that you decide through your intentions, actions, and who you attract, who will be in your life. Accept the change in seasons and engage in facilitating what the seasons will entail with those you allow to be part of your journey. And…..It. Always. Gets. Better. And so do you!

Soundtrack of the week:Count on Me. Be encouraged-your new season of friendships will result in those who can sing this song with you and know that the truth of the lyrics run deep.

This past week was incredibly busy and truly phenomenal. Things that have been put on the back burner for a little bit with work are now well-positioned to be picked up given that our official “busy season” is wrapped up. Also, this week included a full slate of scheduled coaching clients with a variety of items/topics to be addressed. Across the board though, one item continued to come up across the diversity in age, culture, experience, etc of my clients…..love.

For those for whom love is a “missing” component…not yet evident…you know, my single ladies, I had a few sessions where we focused on what was really at hand (oh the irony). What I had to address with each was what internally was keeping them from the love that they wanted to experience.

One piece of wisdom that I had to offer as I was reminded of a quote was the following:

“Your task is not to seek for love, but to seek and melt all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it….Love is everywhere. Melt your barriers and you will have love in abundance.”- Unknown(really, really wish I had the source to give cred)

There’s much more to this quote as I have it captured in a notebook of mine but this is really the core of what I was getting to with a few folks this week. Sometimes, and naturally so, as human beings, we focus on potential external factors that may be limiting our ability to obtain the desires of the heart. We seek to identify potential external factors that may very well be the “culprit(s)”. Instead, what I would submit is more productive, would be to challenge ourselves to pause and consider what internally may be limiting us, positioned as barriers in our perspective, our openness, our truth and honesty with ourselves. Ok, I guess I’ll just go there….we have to be daring and comfortable with the uncomfortable process of asking what are the deeper issues within that are challenging us to be open to, not only the potential but the prospect of love and any other experiences that may not be present in our life experiences that we so wish were?

Yup, this gets to some seriously deep stuff, but it’s when we embrace the deep that we get the depth in all the positive things we seek. Yuck, I know. One of my clients even warned me “Ok, I’ll go there with you because I need this but it’s just not going to be pretty.” I’m gave if you’re game! So, where do we start and what is the process? I’m always so happy with our inquisitive you are J

Accept the “ugly”. Yeah, this process is not pretty and that’s totally cool. Who wants to just be pretty when you can grow into beauty? Sometimes to see how extraordinary you are, you have to accept that the process getting there is going to involve blood, sweat and tears or at a minimum, feelings of fear, anxiety, pressure, anguish, emotional pain….all, just part of the process. Accept what it will look and feel like, knowing that it will not be forever.

Embrace the reality that you have some barriers that you are the “culprit” in building. It’s absolutely ok because you’re human and so what if you’ve created some blocks. More than likely these were built for good reason. Life is not a matter of just simple, independent activities but more valuable, experiences in which we decide how to react. Safety or self-protection is always a good option in the moment when we feel threatened or in a position to be on guard. It’s just never a long-tern, eternal solution. That being said, accept that you may have appropriately built some walls, if you will, and as for good reason, there’s no shame in it, just opportunity for acceptance.

Call your barriers out-Make it plane to yourself by being specific in identifying your barriers, internal blocks, and walls. Use whatever channel you need to to express what they are. In identifying them, they have no hold over you. Instead, you can call them out and be empowered to address them as needed.

Show them the door, giving yourself time to facilitate their permanent exit-I don’t think I could say this more plainly. Let go of the walls, the barriers, the guards…and be patient with yourself in the process of letting them go forever.

Welcome in what you desire-Enjoy and bask in the desires of your heart that are bound to manifest!

For a long time I was a ‘Why’? Over time, I became a ‘Why Not’? For me this means living honestly. It means embracing the continual process of self-reflection.

If you had to describe your brand in three words, what would those three words be?

Authentic

Lyrical

Eternal

How are you intentional about your personal brand?

I try to be thoughtful about the experience I create for my clients, and the images I make for them. I feel, deeply that the responsibility of creating images of women that are empowering, and give their subjects agency. For me it’s about making images that are celebratory and honor this moment.

How do you live it?

I try to acknowledge that much of life is performance, and enjoy that performance. I try to be thoughtful about what I do, and how I move through my life.

If there is anything you could do to either reinforce or enhance your brand, what would that be?

Shoot more. Share with more people.

Greatest accomplishment?

I always feel wonderful when clients return for another shoot, or invite me to document the next special and momentous time in their lives.

Biggest Challenge that you’ve overcome?

Getting out of my own way. I overthink everything. That’s the continual battle.

Interesting Fact/Interests/Hobby/Something you think the LFF World to Know

My 2015 goals are to fill up my sketchbook, cook my way through all of my CSA boxes, complete a personal photography project and to focus on community building. It’s quite a bit to tackle in addition to running my business, but I’m up for it.

How do you recommend other women stay true to themselves and live their authentic personal brand?

This week I came across an Instagram post of one of the fitness accounts I follow that really struck me “

“You have to sweat like a pig and work like a horse to look like a fox.”

I wish I could remember what account it was so I could give cred, but I totally forget. There were a few reasons why this stuck with me including my own challenging efforts with personal fitness goals, goals I have around my career, entrepreneurial endeavors, and just life in general. I really like what this quote is getting at because it actually gives you a slap in the face while simultaneously encouraging you. This is what I really take away from it:

“Listen, if you want to be fabulous and fierce, you have to accept that the being is actually becoming, becoming is a journey, and not every stage of any journey positions you to look or feel your best all the time…but if you stick with it, the process that is, you’re going to be amazed by the outcome!!!!”

So, this is what I’ve got for you today-a recommitment opportunity. We all have different things that we’ve previously committed to that we started off really well with and then, because it got “ugly” and we weren’t seeing results as quickly as we wanted or we didn’t achieve a goal by the time we determined we would, we just abandoned the process. For me this has included the process of becoming a runner, going natural (with my hair for those of you that just got lost a bit), losing weight, learning how to golf. Yup, I’ve got things that I need to go back to. After three attempts, I did finally go completely natural four years ago. I’ve had some success with weight loss but have newer goals in that area. I have tried multiple times to get better at running and this past month, for the first time, even though I really have been ready to quit because it truly is not always cute, I haven’t. I’m totally committing to the process. In fact, today, I hit run #31!!! I’ve NEVER been that consistent with that process….and I’m actually getting better.

So, here’s what I’ve got for you today-a recommitment opportunity….an opportunity for each of us to revisit a process we’ve walked away from in the past or select a new one. Basically pick a goal: Going back to school, losing 10 pounds, doing a workout program…the whole way through, something. Now:

1-Determine the process of reaching your goal: For me, I’m going to stick with my commitment to running. I’ve determined that for me, I need to be consistent in getting at least four 5ks in per week-basically 3.1 miles. I’ve actually been doing more than that but that’s the process I’ve identified. What is your determination-your process?

2-Make a commitment however you need to. My commitment making has taken the form of me having the Nike Running app Coach as my “partner” in this process. And let me tell you, it’s no joke…it really pushes and encourages in a very effective way. Commitments take different forms. Sometimes, all it takes is stating what you’re going to do or become. When I finally decided I would never go back to relaxing my hair…it really was just a simple decision…and let me tell you, as I was figuring things out, not every day was a good hair day. Other times, all I needed to do was write down my goal in my journal or on a sticky note that I posted somewhere that I would see every day. As it relates to weight loss/management, I had to commit to only picking up seven different items from the grocery store and doing meal preps on Sundays. This week, one of my friends actually posted her commitment to her selected process on Facebook. Whatever it is, you just need to decide how you’re going to actually make the commitment. How will you make your commitment?

3-Accept that there are going to be some “ugly” days. Here, all I mean is that you are not always going to be cute in whatever the process you’re selecting is because the process itself, if it truly is one that is going to lead to transformation, development and growth, is just not going to be cute. Accept that and know it’s totally ok. During one of my runs this week, I was totally struggling. It was just a tough day and I was hoping and praying no one say how I was pretty much dragging my steps during the last mile of the run. NOT cute. But, I know there would be days like that before I even started the process and I just accepted it….so I didn’t let that stop me. I let it propel me toward what I’m headed toward…success in this area. What do you already know may be “ugly” about this process for you? Just put it out there so you know that you already knew it ahead of time and can’t use it as an excuse to quit.

4-Keep the “fox” in mind-the success, the “beauty” of the process. This is all about keeping the vision up front and close…really making it…well, real. What do I mean by that? Well, I am n where near being a “runner”, or the runner I want to be, I should say. But, I’m much closer to it now than I was on day one of the process, and you better believe that every time I head out the door, with every step that hits the pavement, every breath I take to push just a little bit more, I’m envisioning myself at the finish line of some race-sometimes, another 5k, other times, yup, the Boston Marathon. I know what my “fox” looks like. What I look like as the “fox”. In order to be able to get here, I had to think about what all of this was, again, before the activity part of process even began. What’s your “fox”-The end game? What do you look like at the end of the process?

5-Get ready, set, go!!!! All that’s left is to mentally prepare, set yourself up for the process, and go forth and conquer. I had to get new sneakers and a few more workout pieces. I had to also get the running app. Then, I just had to get out there and go. And guess what, that first day, it rained like crazy!!!!! But I had determined the process, I made a commitment, I had envisioned success…so there was only one thing left to do…so, I did it…I went…and I’m still going!

So, how about you? Do tell. What process are you going to commit to and begin accepting the “ugly” that may be involved, determining to move forward and keep going until you reach your goal….at least until you reach your goal?

Soundtrack of the week: Because you can’t rely on your momma for this one…and it’s just a really good song, Paramore’s Aint It Fun!